Title: Aftershock
Rating: PG-13 'cause I have a potty mouth.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Can a relationship survive after the damage is done?
A/N: **Spoilers for 'You Shook Me'**
"Steven – just …go away."
"Not until you talk to me, I'll sit here as long as it takes." Hyde closed his eyes and rested his head against the bathroom door. "Please Jackie, open the door." He tried again, knowing it wasn't going to be that easy.
They had been in the same position ever since Hyde walked into Donnas house over an hour ago. Jackie took one look at him, bolted from the kitchen table and locked herself in the upstairs bathroom. Donna gave him the 'look' and went after the sobbing Jackie. Five minutes later she came back and told Hyde he could try and get her out of there, but it wasn't going to do him any good. He had fucked up and apparently everyone knew it.
He didn't know how Jackie had found out, he suspected she took one look at him and just knew. What he couldn't quite figure was how to explain the impossible situation he found himself in. How do you explain to the only person you've ever loved that you had a complete lapse of judgement?
~*~
"I'll come out if you tell me that nothing happened."
He automatically opened his mouth but she interrupted before he could get the words out. "And tell me the truth Steven."
The thump of his head hitting the bathroom door answered the question for her.
"I take it that's a no?"
"I was angry and upset. I thought you hooked back up with Kelso."
"So, this is about Michael again? I can't believe you still don't trust me. It's over; it has been for a long time. You know that." She paused. "What happened?"
"I don't think you want to know."
"Can't be worse any worse than what my imagination has come up with the last few days." She waited for his response. "Or maybe it is."
He wondered at how much she really knew. Sure he could lie and try to convince her it wasn't anything more than a heavy grope session. If he stuck to his story she'd probably believe him. But if she knew, really knew, what went on behind that closed door and he wasn't truthful with her…
He took a deep breath and opted for truth, hoping she would see it for what it was, an attempt to put things back together for them. "The other day I saw you and Kelso together, you looked…close."
She listened to his story, without interruption. When he finished he turned his head to look at the door and waited for her to say something. Anything.
"You're right. It was worse. Thank you Steven, for the additional images, 'cause you know, it wasn't bad enough before."
"Jackie, if you open the door we can talk about this properly."
"Oh I so don't think so."
It was going to be a long night.
~*~
"It's because I wouldn't sleep with you, isn't it?"
"That's not the reason. You know it."
"No. Actually I don't."
"Well that wasn't it."
"So what was it?"
"Jackie –"
"If you're not going to tell me, you might as well leave."
"Not going to be that easy babe."
~*~
"You knew didn't you? Before I told you I mean." Steven asked the question he had been wanting to know the answer to all night.
"I had a pretty good idea, yeah."
"How?"
"What!?"
"How did you know?"
"Why, so you can sneak around better next time? Fuck off Steven."
She was probably right, other than curiosity why else would he want to know. Not that he was planning on doing it again. She didn't know that though, and he doubted she'd believe him if he told her.
"… practice probably. Something happens often enough to you, you're bound to pick up on the hints." Her voice interrupted his thoughts, she sounded tired – smaller, almost broken.
"I never meant for it to happen Jackie."
He could hear her sigh through the door. "They never do."
~*~
He was getting desperate, hours had passed and she wasn't budging, all of the pleading in the world wasn't going to make this any better.
"Jackie listen to me. I'm not Kelso. I was out of my head, wasn't thinking straight. It's not going to happen again." He listened for a response.
"I want to believe you so much Steven. But I can't. Not again. I only get hurt this way. It took me longer than most to realize it, but I think it finally sunk in; Jackie plus boyfriend equals nothing but hurt." Jackie's voice filtered through the wood door.
"w-what are you saying?" Silence was his only reply. "Jacks—?"
"I'm saying we had a good time, and it probably should have ended when it was just a fling, before either of us could get hurt. "
He couldn't believe what he was he just heard. "You want us to be over?" More silence.
"Jackie…"
"Steven, please just go home. Leave me alone." She was in tears now, and he couldn't do anything about it. He was the one that she always ran to when she was upset. Not this time. He forfeit that right as soon as he flipped the little sign on that motel room door.
Steven stood up for the first time in hours and faced the door. He rested his hand on the doorknob and willed Jackie to unlock it for him. "Jackie, please, I'm sorry. I know it doesn't make up for anything, doesn't make anything right. Give me one more chance, I promise I won't give you a reason to regret it.
Baby…I lo-"
"Don't say it Steven. Not now, not like this, and especially when I know you can't possibly mean it."
He hung his head and pushed away from the door. He was halfway down the hall when he stopped, took a deep breath, turned around and walked back.
"I want you to know I'm not going to give up on us. Even if it takes months for you to look at me again, I'm going to prove that you can trust me. Because I know that you're the best thing that ever happened to me, and that's special – you're special." He paused. "You're worth waiting for, in every sense of the word."
He waited a few moments for her to respond, but only the occasional sniffle punctuated the silence of the house. He reached out and traced a line down the centre of the door, hoping it would project some connection to her. With a large sigh and a heavy heart he turned and walked away.
More A/N: I'm all for The Happy Ending but after reading the spoilers this fic was begging to be written. If you've made it this far let me know if I should continue and see if these crazy kids get their happily ever after.